Hyderabad: Protests in India after rape and murder of 27

2019-12-02T21:50:21.827Z

Four men allegedly raped a vet near the city of Hyderabad and subsequently burned it. Indian MPs call for lynching and castration of the perpetrators.

The rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian in India has provoked fierce protests. The woman was raped a few days ago in a suburb of Hyderabad by several men, the first investigation, then doused with gasoline and burned. Four men between the ages of 20 and 28 were arrested.

In protests in Hyderabad, New Delhi and Bangalore, protesters demanded a quick trial and severe sentences against the four suspects. As early as Saturday, the police had forced an angry crowd in Hyderabad, using force, to stop storming the police station where the four suspects had been detained.

Former actress Jaya Bachchan, who is now a member of parliament, called for "lynching" of the perpetrators. Another MP called for castrating rapists. Protesters demanded the death penalty, as in the case of 2012, when a woman was raped by six men and died as a result. Four men were sentenced to death in a first court ruling.

Rape and murder of a six-year-old

During Monday's rallies, reports of rape and strangulation hit a six-year-old in Rajasthan state. The half-naked corpse of the six-year-old had been discovered in a shrubbery. The police arrested a 40-year-old suspect. The girl had been raped and strangled with the belt of his school uniform, according to the first investigation.

The official statistics for 2017 indicate a total of 33,000 rapes for India, including more than 10,000 rape of minors. However, the number of unreported cases could be significantly higher, also because many cases are treated very slowly in court. According to the Reuters news agency, 127,800 cases of possible rape at the end of 2017 were still in the process.